Search age:

Search in:

Burma invites US election monitors

Burma has invited the US and European Union to send observers to monitor April elections, an American official said on Wednesday, a first for the long-isolated country seeking to convince the West to lift crippling sanctions.

The 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations said in a statement on Tuesday that Burma had invited its neighbouring countries to send a five-member delegation along with two parliamentarians and media representatives from each country.

On Wednesday, the US Embassy in Rangoon said the invitation had also been extended to Washington and the European Union, which are dialogue partners of ASEAN.

"We are encouraged that the authorities have invited international representatives as observers, including from ASEAN, the EU and the United States," embassy spokeswoman Adrienne Nutzman told The Associated Press.

Advertisement

"It's notable that the Burmese government will also allow some journalists from these countries to observe the process, demonstrating increased openness to the foreign media," Nutzman said.

She declined to give details of how many American monitors would be allowed and if the US had accepted the invitation.

It was not immediately clear what sort of access would be granted to the observers.

The British Embassy received a note from Burma's Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying it could send a representative from the mission to participate in an "observation tour" on election day, said embassy official Joe Fisher.

After half a century of military rule, Burma's army ceded power last year to a nominally civilian government. Since then, President Thein Sein has surprised Western governments by making several dramatic changes, including opening up next month's by-elections to the opposition party of Aung San Suu Kyi, releasing hundreds of political prisoners, signing truces with rebel groups and easing restrictions on the media.

But the international community says more progress is needed, including releasing all remaining political prisoners and putting an end to ethnic violence and human rights abuses, which rights groups say continue despite the unprecedented reform campaign.

The US, EU and others say the polls will be "a key test" of the government's commitment to reforms.

American officials have called for a free and fair election in April and say the conduct of the by-elections will be a major factor in the West's decision to lift economic sanctions imposed on Burma during the military junta's rule.